James Gallatin (December 18, 1796 – May 29, 1876) was an American banker who was the son of

Albert Gallatin Abraham Alfonse Albert Gallatin (January 29, 1761 – August 12, 1849) was a Genevan– American politician, diplomat, ethnologist and linguist. Often described as "America's Swiss Founding Father", he was a leading figure in the early years ...

Early life

He was the eldest of two sons and four daughters born to Hannah ( Nicholson) Gallatin and Albert Gallatin, the 4th

U.S. Secretary of the Treasury The United States secretary of the treasury is the head of the United States Department of the Treasury, and is the chief financial officer of the federal government of the United States. The secretary of the treasury serves as the principal a ...

who served as the

U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom The United States ambassador to the United Kingdom (known formally as the ambassador of the United States to the Court of St James's) is the official representative of the president of the United States and the American government to the monarch ...

and

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. His siblings were Catherine, Sophia, Hannah Marie, Frances, and Albert Rolaz Gallatin. Catherine, Sophia and Hannah Marie died as infants while his sister Frances married Byam Kerby Stevens (a son of Gen. Ebenezer Stevens) and his brother Albert Rolaz married Mary Lucille Stevens (a granddaughter of Gen. Stevens). His father was born to a wealthy family in

Geneva Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaki ...

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

, the son of Jean Gallatin and his wife Sophie Albertine Rollaz. His maternal grandparents were Frances Witter Nicholson and Commodore James Nicholson, an officer in the

Continental Navy The Continental Navy was the navy of the United States during the American Revolutionary War and was founded October 13, 1775. The fleet cumulatively became relatively substantial through the efforts of the Continental Navy's patron John Adams ...

during the Revolutionary War. His grandfather was from a well-connected Maryland family and was the elder brother to

Samuel Samuel ''Šəmūʾēl'', Tiberian: ''Šămūʾēl''; ar, شموئيل or صموئيل '; el, Σαμουήλ ''Samouḗl''; la, Samūēl is a figure who, in the narratives of the Hebrew Bible, plays a key role in the transition from the bibl ...

and John Nicholson, both of whom were also officers in the Continental Navy.USS Constitution Museum
/ref>

Career

While his father helped broker the

Treaty of Ghent The Treaty of Ghent () was the peace treaty that ended the War of 1812 between the United States and the United Kingdom. It took effect in February 1815. Both sides signed it on December 24, 1814, in the city of Ghent, United Netherlands (now in ...

, which ended the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It bega ...

between Britain and the United States, James acted as his personal secretary during this diplomatic trip. After the success at Ghent, the Gallatins traveled to France just as

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

arrived at

Cannes Cannes ( , , ; oc, Canas) is a city located on the French Riviera. It is a communes of France, commune located in the Alpes-Maritimes departments of France, department, and host city of the annual Cannes Film Festival, Midem, and Cannes Lions I ...

after escaping

Elba Elba ( it, isola d'Elba, ; la, Ilva) is a Mediterranean island in Tuscany, Italy, from the coastal town of Piombino on the Italian mainland, and the largest island of the Tuscan Archipelago. It is also part of the Arcipelago Toscano National ...

. James' diary includes a detailed look into the lives of the nobles as they faced the threat of Napoleon's return. At one point, he is asked by the famous artist

Jacques-Louis David Jacques-Louis David (; 30 August 1748 – 29 December 1825) was a French painter in the Neoclassicism, Neoclassical style, considered to be the preeminent painter of the era. In the 1780s, his cerebral brand of history painting marked a change in ...

to sit as a cherub for his painting l'Amour et Psyche:

3 March 1815. — We were received privately this morning by the King, only the Duchesse d'Angouleme was present. She looked very sad. The King moved to the embrasure of a window, motioning to Father to follow him, they remained in conversation for a quarter of an hour. Amongst other things His Majesty intimated a wish that Father would be sent as Minister to Paris adding, "you must not forget that your family belonged to France, before you belonged to America." The Duchess talked to me most graciously, asked me about my Mother and said "You are too young to begin political life. I assured her I was 18; she exclaimed "Mais c'est un bebe." Monsieur David the great Artist has requested Father to allow me to pose to him for Cupid, Father has consented and I sit tomorrow.

Gallatin succeeded his father as the president of the

Gallatin National Bank The Gallatin National Bank was a bank headquartered in New York City founded in 1829 by U.S. Treasury Secretary Albert Gallatin. In 1912, it was absorbed into the Hanover National Bank. History The bank was founded as the National Bank in the C ...

in 1839. After his retirement in 1868 he relocated to

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

Published journal

His journal entries from his 1814-15 voyage were published in the September 1914 issue of ''

Scribner's Magazine ''Scribner's Magazine'' was an American periodical published by the publishing house of Charles Scribner's Sons from January 1887 to May 1939. ''Scribner's Magazine'' was the second magazine out of the Scribner's firm, after the publication of ' ...

'' and include a detailed historical account of the negotiations and infighting between the American representatives as well as with the British delegates. However, Raymond Walters, biographer of Albert Gallatin, and other historians believe the diary to be a forgery. Walters wrote "... I reached the conclusion that the diary is a complete fraud." Walters notes that no manuscript for the diary has survived or was ever known to have been seen by anybody other than James Gallatin.

Personal life

In April 1834, after deciding against marrying Eliza Astor, the youngest daughter of

John Jacob Astor John Jacob Astor (born Johann Jakob Astor; July 17, 1763 – March 29, 1848) was a German-American businessman, merchant, real estate mogul, and investor who made his fortune mainly in a fur trade monopoly, by smuggling opium into China, and ...

, Gallatin was married to Josephine Mary Pascault (1801–1885), a daughter of

Louis Pascault, Marquis de Poleon Jean-Charles-Marie-Louis-Felix Pascault, Marquis de Poléon ( – May 31, 1824) was a French-American aristocrat best known today for building Pascault Row in Baltimore. Early life Pascault was born in France the son of Anne Marie Pascault and Je ...

, who built Pascault Row in Baltimore. Her elder sister Henriette married the French General

Jean-Jacques Reubell Jean-Jacques Reubell (Rewbell) (born August 12, 1777 in Colmar, died 24 January 1847) was a French general during the Napoleonic Wars. Life After joining the French army he was appointed a second lieutenant on 23 April 1792. In 1796 he was alrea ...

(who came to Baltimore with

Jerome Bonaparte Jerome (; la, Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus; grc-gre, Εὐσέβιος Σωφρόνιος Ἱερώνυμος; – 30 September 420), also known as Jerome of Stridon, was a Christian priest, confessor, theologian, and historian; he is comm ...

, later

King of Westphalia King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...

) and her other sister, Eleanora, married Gen. Columbus O'Donnell of Baltimore. Together, they were the parents of: * Albert Gallatin II (1825–1858), who married Henrietta Duer Robinson (1828–1893), a daughter of

Morris Robinson Morris DeRhon Robinson (born March 18, 1969) is an American bass (voice type), bass opera singer and former All-American college football player who has performed with the Metropolitan Opera, at Carnegie Hall, at La Scala in Milan, Italy, at the ...

and Henrietta Elizabeth ( Duer) Robinson (a daughter of

Continental Congress The Continental Congress was a series of legislative bodies, with some executive function, for thirteen of Britain's colonies in North America, and the newly declared United States just before, during, and after the American Revolutionary War. ...

man William Duer). * Andrew Gallatin (b. 1826), who died young. James styled himself Count Gallatin, though his right to the title was disputed, but he was known to his own family as "bad Jimmy"."The Hoax Diary"
thenewsfromwaterloo.com; accessed December 28, 2015. Gallatin died on May 29, 1876 in Paris. His widow also died in Paris in 1885.

References

External links

James Gallatin (1796-1876)
at the

Harvard Art Museum The Harvard Art Museums are part of Harvard University and comprise three museums: the Fogg Museum (established in 1895), the Busch-Reisinger Museum (established in 1903), and the Arthur M. Sackler Museum (established in 1985), and four research ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gallatin, James American people of the War of 1812 1876 deaths 1796 births American bankers